Hangout HandbookThe Simple Pleasures of Saskatoon

In our annual Hangout Handbook, Exclaim! asks some of our favourite artists to discuss their favourite hometown haunts. Here, the Sheepdogs' Sam Corbett shares some of the band's favourite spots in Saskatoon.

It's a Steal
The best place for breakfast is Poached (259 2 Ave. S.). It was the first fancier style breakfast in Saskatoon, and now there are a bunch of other places doing it as well. I'd say it's still the best though — simple stuff, but very well made.

Down by the River
The best place to be in Saskatoon is just down by the river. Almost all of it is a public park, so it's mostly a series of trails, with the occasional feature, including the Bessborough (601 Spadina Crescent E.), a historic hotel with an outdoor live music venue behind it.

Viet-noms
For some reason, Saskatoon has a plethora of great Vietnamese restaurants. Cheap, fast and tasty: basically the perfect lunch. If you're on the East Side, go to The Wok (1840 8 St. E. #3). If you're downtown, head to Thien Vietnam (123 3rd Ave. S.).

True Vintage
They don't have everything, but 33rd Street has quite a few pawn shops that have cool stuff from all over rural Saskatchewan. A couple blocks away is Better Off Duds (510A 33rd St. W.): bassist Ryan Gullen's favourite local vintage clothing store.

Under the Bridge
There's a sandbar underneath the Broadway Bridge that doubles as a beach in the summertime. It's easy to get to and they seem to usually let the afternoon drinking slide... although we did get a ticket a couple years ago.

Feed Your Urges
My favourite place is called Primal (423 20 St.) which is in the gentrifying Riversdale neighbourhood. Fancy but reasonable, they focus on pasta but they have a bunch of other great dishes. I went there for my birthday supper the last two years in a row.

The Other Great White Way
When we first started out as a band, we were always hanging out on Broadway, and it's still a great area to hit. Amigos (632 10 St. E.) is the best live music venue in town, Duck Duck Goose (616 10 St. E.) is good for cocktails, and the Yard and Flagon (718 Broadway Ave.) has a great rooftop patio.

Full Circle
We always seem to end up at Flint (259 2 Ave. S.) for cocktails and occasionally karaoke. It's actually in the same building as Poached, so now your perfect day in Saskatoon has come full circle.

Sam Corbett is the drummer for the Sheepdogs; their most recent album, Future Nostalgia, came out on Warner last year.